A Unique Way of Speaking

Once Upon A Time

Regina/Ruby (Red Queen)

Rated PG

Summary: Ruby uses her words to try and woo the Evil Queen.

Disclaimers….not my characters or my show etc etc.

A/N: This section wrote itself. I had very little input aside from the typing of it. I hope you like it.

8888888888

"Your notes to me…" Regina paused as she thought about how to proceed. She discovered she really had no desire to mock the surprisingly innocent woman sitting across from her. "To be frank, they weren't the most elegantly worded correspondence I've ever read," she said carefully.

"Gee, thanks," Ruby muttered, a wave of hurt and humiliation washing over her. She should have known. Before Regina could stop her, the slender waitress was out of the booth and headed to the kitchen.

Sighing in amused frustration, Regina quickly got up and followed Ruby into the dimly lit kitchen. She paused as she took in the dejected woman angrily washing the cups. Ruby Lucas was frustrating, impetuous and far too cheerful and good hearted for Regina's liking, but the way she wore her emotions on her sleeve (when she wore sleeves anyway) was compelling . Her charismatic nature drew Regina like a moth to a flame and it provided no end of bemusement for Regina to know that of all the many, many people that could have captured this sexy untamed woman's affections, Ruby had decided she wanted her; a woman who took pride in her icy demeanor and had never attempted to be nice to the waitress.

Regina's lips lifted in a grin that couldn't be called anything but predatory as she took a moment to run her eyes slowly over Ruby, pausing to appreciate the mouthwatering flexibility the lithe woman must have in order to struggle into jeans so deliciously…snug. Whether it was deliberate or not, Ruby exuded a magnetic sexuality, that Regina would be a fool to ignore. The former Queen was a woman who had learned to take what she wanted and even though this scenario had never before crossed her mind, she decided that she would happily take what the werewolf so innocently offered.

She stalked purposefully toward the pouting woman and slipped her hands onto Ruby's hips. "It's rude to walk away when someone is still talking," Regina murmured silkily in Ruby's ear.

Ruby had sensed Regina's presence the moment she entered the kitchen and it had taken everything inside of her to keep standing as she had practically felt the dark eyes running over her body, but she kept still, unwilling to give the woman any other reason to make fun of her. The feel of hands landing on her hips and the soft words in her ear had Ruby whimpering pitifully as desire raced through her like a wildfire.

"Yeah? Says the woman who invented the term," was the only reply Ruby could muster as Regina nestled closer against her.

"As I was trying to say," Regina continued, thrilling at the trembling that she felt in Ruby's body, "while your words were simple, they touched a place inside of me that hadn't been touched in a very long time."

"Really?" Ruby whispered, no longer remembering anything she'd written as Regina began to nuzzle at her ear.

"Mm hmm. That's why I was so quick to doubt their sincerity."

"Do you believe me now?" Ruby whispered, suddenly understanding how so many fell under this woman's thrall. Regina didn't need evil or magic to get what she wanted. She just needed to whisper in their ear.

"As you say, I'm a very distrustful woman. I may need a bit more convincing,"

Ruby was close to fainting from the ongoing bombardment of Regina's voice in her ear and breath against her skin. She spun around to face her tormenter feeling unexpectedly unsure of herself. "I guess it's my turn to ask you…is this a joke to you? Are you just playing with me?"

Regina met Ruby's guarded eyes with a steady gaze of her own. "I will admit that when I figured out you were the one who wrote the notes, the idea did cross my mind. After all, that's what I do, but I had a little chat with someone earlier and he helped me clear my mind enough to realize a few things." Almost unconsciously, Regina let her fingers play with the soft silky strands of Ruby's hair, pushing an unruly lock out of painfully hopeful eyes.

"And what would those things be?" Ruby dared to ask, even as she longed to rub her cheek against the fingers playing in her hair.

"Well, the first thing that occurred to me was that while this entire situation is not something I'd ever even contemplated, the idea of you and I becoming…'friends' was not all that abhorrent to me."

Ruby couldn't help it. She tossed her head back and laughed. "Oh my God Regina, you really know how to flatter a girl."

Regina frowned as she wondered at Ruby's reaction and then she considered her words and she smiled a bit ruefully.

"Well it seems that my ability to express myself might be worse than yours."

Ruby chuckled. "I'd say so."

"Be that as it may," Regina continued primly and then sighed sadly. "Ruby, the fact is I've not had any interest in any type of romantic involvement for years. That part of my life ended with…well it no longer existed."

Ruby stiffened, suspecting she was about to get the big 'it's not you it's me,' speech. She started to pull away when Regina's hand tugged gently on the hair she'd been playing with.

"Ruby Lucas, would you just hold still and let me finish?" Regina huffed impatiently. The slender waitress opened her mouth and then closed it before leaning back against the counter in surrender and Regina stepped even closer, effectively trapping her and keeping her from running off again.

"Thank you," Regina quipped sarcastically. "Now, as I was saying, I wasn't interested in having friends much less a lover and, no offense dear, but you never entered the equation at all."

Ruby started to reply but a long slender finger covered her lips, stopping her words as well as a good bit of her brain function.

"Not finished," Regina repeated with an amused grin. "In all honesty, until I received your notes, I never really saw you at all. All you were to me was a possible way of getting at Snow and with your lycanthropic abilities, a possible weapon."

"Oh," Ruby felt as if she'd been gut punched at the harsh truths Regina was speaking, but the indescribable look in the former Mayors dark eyes and the way she was pressed against her kept her from pushing the woman away and running off to her room to hide.

Not understanding the tenderness that filled her at Ruby's dejected look but unable to ignore it, she placed her hand against Ruby's cheek.

"I read your notes, well the ones I didn't vaporize," she smiled at the reluctant grin pulling at Ruby's still pouting lips. "I read them over and over, trying to understand what you were trying to tell me, trying to understand why someone would take the time to tell me they care. People just don't say things like that to me for no reason."

"Me either," Ruby admitted quietly, her heart aching for the proud woman standing almost in her arms. "People look at my outfits and the way I live and just assume I'm not interested in romance or anything outside of a one night stand. They think I don't have any feelings not pertaining to sex or partying."

Regina nodded, knowing she had been one of those people. "So why do you? Dress the way you do that is?"

Ruby didn't see anything but curiosity on Regina's face which was a change from the usual disdain, but then again everything the rigid woman had done so far had been oddly out of character. She decided Regina deserved nothing but the truth. "Well I don't know when it started after the curse sent us here, but I keep doing it because I like it."

Regina lifted an eyebrow. "You're saying you like being ogled by every Tom Dick and Grumpy that wanders in here?" .

Ruby snorted, as always entertained by Regina's sarcasm. "It really doesn't bother me," she answered honestly. I mean, this," she gestured at herself, "it's just a body. Flesh and bone. If the pervs in town act like they've never seen breasts or legs before, well that's their problem. As long as they don't get grabby."

"Perhaps you aren't aware that your…" she ran her eyes down to the previously mentioned body parts, "attributes are very well put together and very hard to ignore," she finished, resisting the urge to do more than ogle.

Ruby felt her cheeks warm at the compliment. "Yeah well, there's only one opinion that matters and theirs aren't it."

"And does the no grabby rule apply to me as well?" Regina murmured seductively, trailing a finger down Ruby's long silky neck.

Ruby shivered and then let her eyes do some wandering of their own. Good God Regina Mills was absolutely the sexiest woman she'd ever seen, she thought dreamily.

"Hell no," she finally replied after her mind finally left the gutter, "as long as you remember that turn about is fair play because the sight of you in those short skirts, barely buttoned blouses and leather boots makes me absolutely crazy."

Regina met Ruby's gaze and offered a grin that was decidedly arrogant and incredibly erotic. "That's good to know," she stated and then shook her head in bewilderment as the events of the past hour started to catch up with her.

"I have absolutely no idea of what to make of you," she commented idly, her fingers returning back to the silky mass of Ruby's hair.

"I'm not that complicated," Ruby grinned even as she fought the dangerous urge to tell the normally reserved woman to stop talking and kiss her.

"I beg to differ," Regina said quietly. "But one of the other things I realized was that as wildly incompatible as we are, I think you are the only one in this town that…well, we have more in common than I would have guessed."

That revelation surprised Ruby, primarily because she never in her wildest dreams would have expected the painfully proud woman to admit it. Of course she never would have expected Regina to be on the verge of seducing her in Granny's kitchen either.

"Well we are both ridiculously hot," she said casually, trying to keep the mood light and grinning at the resulting eye roll.

"And modest as well," Regina retorted, "but you and I both know more than anyone here, what it's like to live with a darkness inside that we have to fight every day to control. We've both learned to avoid intimate relationships because when we get close to someone it doesn't end well." She paused as she thought about Henry and her attempt to love him only turned him against her.

Ruby cringed inwardly as she was reminded of who…what she really was but her own pain was erased as she saw the sadness once more enter Regina's eyes. She really wanted to be angry with Henry for what he'd unwittingly done to this woman. "Regina…"

"No Ruby, that's a conversation for another day. Right now, this is about…whatever this is," Regina gestured between them.

"So you admit there is something?" Ruby was having an extremely hard time processing the fact that Regina Mills was standing in the diner kitchen, nearly pressed flush against her and discussing a possible 'us'.

"I think that there could be," Regina answered hesitantly.

Ruby knew enough about Regina to appreciate that her tentative answer was practically a marriage proposal for her.

"Look Regina, I know this whole thing is kind of unexpected and there's a lot we probably need to talk about but maybe we should do that later when it's not after midnight and we're not standing in the least romantic spot in Storybrooke. I just need to know one thing. Do you… do you have any interest in…" she stopped, suddenly afraid of the answer.

Regina's heart thawed a little at Ruby's awkwardness, the fear of rejection practically tattooed on her face. As carefully, as if reaching for a wounded animal, she lifted her hand and placed it against the gentle werewolf's cheek.

"I can't deny that this is strange for me Ruby. This…your feelings for me came out of nowhere and part of me, the part that you and everyone have only ever seen , is fighting very hard to keep from taunting you until you run and hide in the forest."

Tears stung Ruby's eyes but she forced them back and offered a trembling smile. "It's okay Regina. Thanks for being honest. I…"

Regina slid her hand around Ruby's neck and pulled her closer. "You really do talk too much Miss Lucas," she interrupted softly just before capturing the still moving lips with hers.

Ruby's speech came to a screeching halt at the feel of those beautiful lips pressed against hers and ignoring the entire world outside of this kitchen, ignoring the fact that the woman in her arms was the so-called Evil Queen and the Mistress of Sarcasm, Ruby simply gave herself over to the oh so sweet sensation of Regina's kiss. Her arms slid around the former Mayor and she found herself deepening the kiss. She let her tongue tentatively trail across Regina's lips and groaned when Regina let her in.

The kiss grew in intensity, the silence of the closed diner broken by breathy moans and tiny whimpers until Regina finally pulled away.

"I hope that answers your question as to whether I'm interested," she said, her voice sounding so low and seductive that Ruby had to shut her eyes in order to regain her equilibrium.

"It's a start," she croaked.

"Ruby, I…the things you wrote to me. I do appreciate the sentiment but you have to understand. I'm not a sharer. I don't know how to open up to people and quite honestly, I'm not sure I want to." Regina ran her thumb along Ruby's cheek, marveling at the softness.

Ruby nodded. "That's not really a shocker," she acknowledged. "I don't really expect you to. I mean, it would be nice if one day you felt comfortable enough to share with me but sometimes just knowing someone is there is enough.

Regina felt a rare and inexplicable urge to weep at the earnest expression in the young woman's eyes. "You know, for all the people traipsing all over Storybrooke declaring their goodness, I think yours may be the one truly good heart I've encountered since…well in a very long time."

Ruby looked away. "No, Regina, not with the things I've done."

Regina placed her fingers under Ruby's chin and pulled her beautiful eyes back toward her. "That was the wolf Ruby and even the wolf can't be blamed for it's actions. It acts on its natural instinct not malice; therefore I stand by my statement."

Ruby couldn't help but chuckle at Regina's regal posturing, especially after the kiss they just shared but then she grew serious as she placed her hand over Regina's heart.

"You have a good heart too Regina. It's just been broken to bits by those who should have nourished it, but broken hearts can be healed."

Regina's eyes filled as she looked at the woman watching her so closely. She wasn't fully ready trust any of this yet. Not even close, but for the first time in a very long time, she was willing to take the risk.

"I think," she said shakily, "that we should probably leave before someone calls Granny or the police about a break in."

Ruby sighed in disappointment. "Yeah, you're probably right."

The two women left the kitchen and headed toward the door. "We can continue our discussion tomorrow night over dinner. At my house if you'd like," Regina mentioned as casually as she could manage. Her stomach clenched as she witnessed Ruby's huge smile.

"I'd like," Ruby answered as she followed Regina out of the diner and locked the door behind her.

"Good. I'll call you tomorrow with the details. Now, come on. I'll give you a ride home."

"Yes ma'am," Ruby retorted cheekily, her body still humming from Regina's kisses and her heart lighter than it had been in years.

THE END

88888888888

A/N 4: I couldn't remember if the B & B and the diner were in the same location o r not, so for this story, Ruby's home is separate from the diner.